Central Military Hospital has new pavilion for hospitalisation of COVID-19 positive patients

The SNP Central Military Hospital – Faculty Hospital Ružomberok (ÚVN SNP) has set up a pavilion for hospitalisation of COVID-19 positive patients at the unused premises of the former clinic. It offers 42 beds and 13 patients can be put on ventilators. The new COVID-19 pavilion was officially opened today by Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď, Defence State Secretary Marian Majer and Director of the SNP Hospital Brig Gen Vladimír Lengvarský MD MPH.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “We have managed to set up the pavilion for hospitalisation of COVID-19 positive patients indeed at the right time. The numbers of confirmed cases are rising not only across the Liptov and Orava regions, but also across the whole of Slovakia. This is, therefore, another step the MOD has taken to contribute to containing the pandemic and make sure that our citizens have access to high quality medical care.” He also announced that the MOD is ready to boost the hospital’s capacity with the help of extra military medical professionals and regular soldiers.

The new pavilion is housed in an unused, recently refurbished three-storey building of the hospital’s former clinic. The first floor offers nine beds for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms. “On the second floor there are 13 beds for patients requiring intensive care with the option to be put on ventilators and there are also monitors for vital functions as well as infusion/injection drip stands. Each bed is also equipped with an electric surgical suction system to help remove secretions,” explained Director of the SNP Central Military Hospital Brig Gen Vladimír Lengvarský MD MPH. On the floor above the ground there are another 20 beds with monitors for vital functions for patients who do not require intensive care.

At the beginning of next week, the Infectious Diseases Clinic, which needs refurbishing completely, will temporarily move into the hospital’s new COVID pavilion. On completion of refurbishment works, the Infectious Diseases Clinic will return to its premises, and the COVID pavilion will serve as a reserve facility. In the future, the building will be used as soon as a pandemic plan is activated – or in the event of another outbreak of infection, or if there is a need to isolate larger numbers of patients, or when observation stays for members of the SVK Armed Forces are required.

The overall costs associated with the refurbishment of the COVID pavilion total €1.3m, whereas the medical devices cost nearly €460,000. The SNP Central Military Hospital had received 18 pulmonary ventilators from the Ministry of Health. Of them, 14 ventilators (including 1 reserve ventilator) have been placed in the COVID pavilion and 4 ventilators are available at the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Medicine Clinic.

From the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic to mid-September 2020, the Central Military Hospital Ružomberok invested almost €3.4m into reconstructing buildings and purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE), medicine, instruments and technical devices. ECO-INVESTMENT JSC and MONDI JSC donated a total of €600,000 to the hospital to purchase equipment for COVID-19 patients. Thanks to the donations, the hospital bought and placed medical devices at its wards treating coronavirus patients – Urgent Primary Care Reception, Central Intensive Care Unit, Dialysis Ward and Blood Vessel Surgery Ward.